Loess Hills National Scenic Byway
Loess Hills National Scenic Byway is a National Scenic Byway in Iowa. Within Iowa it covers roughly 250 miles. The map below shows its route. Use “Plan a drive” to open it in the Road Sorties route planner — already routing along Loess Hills National Scenic Byway with scenic roads turned on, ready to add your own stops.
This byway runs about 220 miles along the Loess Hills of western Iowa, a band of steep, wind-deposited silt bluffs rising above the Missouri River floodplain. Loess this deep is a rare landform — the only comparable hills are in China — and it supports remnant tallgrass prairie that turns gold in autumn. The main route is threaded by numerous marked side loops climbing into the bluffs for sweeping valley overlooks.
- wind-deposited loess bluffs
- Missouri River valley
- remnant tallgrass prairie
- ridge-top overlooks
- ~220 miles
Designated for its natural qualities
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Places to stop along Loess Hills National Scenic Byway
Broken Kettle Grasslands Preserve
Iowa's largest remaining prairie, a Nature Conservancy preserve in the loess bluffs with a herd of more than 200 bison.
Stone State Park
Steep Loess Hills ridges on the edge of Sioux City with trails, overlooks, and the Dorothy Pecaut Nature Center.
Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center
A Sioux City center on the expedition's journey up the Missouri, with animatronic figures and a riverfront trail.
WebsiteSergeant Floyd Monument
A 100-foot obelisk marking the grave of Charles Floyd, the only member of the Corps of Discovery to die on the expedition.
WebsitePreparation Canyon State Park
Wooded ravines in the Loess Hills on the site of a vanished 1850s town, with hike-in campsites.
Murray Hill Scenic Overlook
A prairie hilltop with yucca and wildflowers looking out over the Missouri River valley.
Hitchcock Nature Center
Prairie ridges with 10 miles of trails and a hawk-watch tower where thousands of raptors are counted each fall.
Union Pacific Railroad Museum
Council Bluffs' museum on the railroad that began the transcontinental line here, set in a 1905 Carnegie library.
WebsiteTodd House Museum
An 1853 house in Tabor that served as an Underground Railroad station and a base for John Brown.
Waubonsie State Park
Ridge-top overlooks of the Missouri River valley from some of the highest loess bluffs, with trails and cabins.
Where to Stay along Loess Hills National Scenic Byway
No campgrounds are listed close to Loess Hills National Scenic Byway yet, but there are rooms near the route.
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What is a National Scenic Byway?
National Scenic Byways are roads recognized at the federal level for at least one outstanding quality — scenic, natural, historic, cultural, archaeological or recreational — that gives travelers a reason to seek them out rather than just pass through.